Gryphons Clinch At Least a Tie

Since Nash Central has been in existence, it has been as competitive as any football team against Rocky Mount, other than SouthWest Edgecombe.

Tonight, the Bulldogs make the Gryphon sweat before the awesome speed of the Gryphons tripped Nash Central 35-7.

Any one who gets up tomorrow and looks in the paper and sees the score will say that the Gryphons didn't have any trouble, but will they ever be wrong.

The Bulldogs had the Gryphons on the ropes as the fourth quarter started tied 7-7, but a punt return that was called back lit the Gryphon fire in the fourth quarter.

Brian Goodwin fielded a punt and followed some crushing blocks all the way to the 1-yard line, but a block in the back put the Gryphons all the way back to their own 43.

The first play Collins Cuthrell caught the Bulldogs looking run and hit a wide open Keith Strickland for a 57-yard score and the flood gates were opening.

Following a three-and-out by the defense, Goodwin fielded another punt on his own 35 retreated back to about the 25 trying to get to his wall of blockers and once he got there, he had clear sailing down in front of the Gryphon faithful and just like that, the Gryphons had a 14-point lead.

Cuthrell scored his first varsity TD as the Gryphons marched right back down the field the next time they got the ball.

The final score of the game occurred late as Hiawatha Bunn intercepted a Bulldogs pass and had an escort down in front of the Bulldog bench 79 yards to paydirt.

Goodwin got the only Gryphon score in the first half on a 22-yard end around, but that play may never have happened if it weren't for Nick Hahula's fake punt that kept the drive alive.

Hahula sold the fake punt by acting like he was going to run right with the ball and then threw back to the left where Bunn was able to pick up 20 yards on a fourth-and-12.

There is a rumor going around that Hahula will be taking snaps at quarterback next week since he has a 100 percent completion percentage in his career as a passer - 1-for-1!

The Gryphons were pressed hard by Central, but when it was clutch time, the Gryphons came up with the big plays.

The Gryphons clinched a tie for the conference crown 35-7 over the Nash Central Bulldogs.

In other NEW 6 play, Fike made sure that it could still get a part in the championship by beating Southern Nash 33-14.

Over in Death Valley, Northern scored its most points this year, but they pick SouthWest Edgecombe as the team to score 28 on as the Knights fell short to the Cougars, 46-28.

The ADM's were released today and to me it looks like the Gryphons will be in the 3-A bracket.

There are 95 3-A schools and Rocky Mount is the 46th smallest. Its average daily attendance is 1210.

If you take the top 47 as the 3-AA and the next 48 as 3-A, the Gryphons will be in the 3-A bracket by the skin of their nose.

You can go on the NCHSAA website and see all the size rankings of all four classifications at www.nchsaa.org.

Northern Nash has 1,320 students followed by Fike with 1,243, then Nash Central at 1,242 fourth in size is Southern Nash at 1,217, then Rocky Mount at 1,210 and SouthWest, which will go back to 2-A next year, is at 957

When you go the the listings, they do not have a list that says 3-AA or 3-A - they are all in a row, but I don't know how we will not be the the 3-A bracket.

West Craven is now the only true undefeated team in eastern 3-A football as two unbeaten teams went down last night.

Beddingfield lost to Kinston 33-32, and Eastern Alamance fell 34-20 to Oxford Webb. Rocky Mount's forfeit that leave West Craven as the only true undefeated team.

Beddingfield loss to Kinston means it can not win its conference out right and Eastern Alamance's loss means the best it can do is tie for the title.

So it is down to West Craven and Rocky Mount for the top seeding in the east.

All Kinston has to do is win next week and Beddingfield can only be their No. 2 seed so they can't be considered for the 3-A No. 1 seed. Eastern Alamance can only tie the winner of the Webb-Northern Vance game, so there will be a drawing for their conference's No. 1 seed. If Eastern Alamance losses the draw, then it will lose out on a possible No. 1 seed in the east.

Rocky Mount must beat Fike next week or it may be in the same dilemma as Eastern Alamance and not win a draw as its conference's No. 1 seed.

A victory Friday will solve that problem.